Ducks A-Z: Sheldon Brookbank

A journeyman defenseman who's been on the fringe of the NHL throughout his four full seasons, Sheldon Brookbank turned a career year into some form of financial security that players of his ilk hope to get during their time as a pro.

The two-year, $1.5-million contract extension that he signed nearly a year ago was a reward for the work Brookbank put into improving himself as a player after a lengthy tour in the American Hockey League and short stops in Nashville and New Jersey.

However, Brookbank didn't follow up his strong 2009-10 season as he again found himself a regular visitor to the press box as a healthy scratch. It is nothing new for the 30-year-old blue-liner as finding a way to stay in the lineup will remain the greatest challenge that he has to face on a day-to-day basis.

There may be many other defensemen with more ability than Brookbank but there are fewer who are willing to accept their role and give maximum effort when they are called upon. And it's been enough to warrant an appearance in 17 of the last 19 playoff games that the Ducks have participated in.

Current contract status: Signed for one more season. Will be unrestricted free agent (UFA) in 2012.

What he did: The sixth defenseman job was given to Brookbank at the end of camp but he was part of the Ducks' early struggles as he opened up with games at Detroit and Nashville where he was a minus-2 in each. By Oct. 21, the Saskatchewan native was already a minus-7 but he responded with a plus-2 effort in Detroit on Oct. 23 in which he played 16:44. He was also a plus-2 in a Nov. 7 win over Nashville but he sat a game duet to a strained hamstring, which provided an opening for Carlyle to use Paul Mara in his defense rotation and work an injured Andy Sutton back into the lineup. Brookbank went through a period where he only played once from Dec. 20-Feb. 19, a span of 24 games. Upon returning, he was inserted on the fourth line for a few games and worked hard to bring some energy to the grouping. He was scratched for four more games in a row in mid-March but Carlyle brought him back into the lineup to stay after that as he was an even-rating player over the final 11 games of the regular season. Brookbank would play in four of the six playoff games against Nashville, picking up a 10-minute misconduct at the end of a Game 1 loss.

What could happen in '11-12: Brookbank has always lived on the edge of an NHL roster and next year figures to be no different with the Ducks possibly on the lookout to upgrade their defense corps. If the club were to look to deal him, the only real value the physical rearguard would likely bring back is a draft pick in return in case another team is more in need of a defenseman. There is the option of putting Brookbank on waivers but the fact is he also provides the Ducks with someone who knows the role of a seventh defenseman and can step in when needed either because of injury or if Carlyle needs to send a message to another player. And with his relativately low salary, the club can easily hang onto Brookbank and use him as they see fit. What helps his case is that the Ducks don't have another young defenseman in the minors that is particularly close to being NHL-ready so the only way his spot could be in serious jeopardy is if the team brings in a free-agent blue-liner over the summer. If he's back, Brookbank needs to show the form of 2009-10 where he looked more confident handling the puck in his end.

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